Terror for terror The catchphrase 'Doodh mangoge to kheer denge, Kashmir mangoge to cheer denge' (If you want milk we'll give you cream, but if you ask for Kashmir, we'll rip you apart) in Maa Tujhe Salaam - Sunny Deol's latest film released yesterday - is frighteningly jingoistic. But at a time when the armies of India and Pakistan are locked in an eyeball to eyeball confrontation on the border, the battle cry might find many takers at the ticket counters. On the silver screen, you can trust Deol to save Kashmir from the vicious terrorists who have filtered in from the other side of the fence. Like Rambo, he can do it all alone for his country, his motherland. These days, Deol can perform any miracle of muscle on celluloid. And, pulp patriotism is his steroid. Deol is larger-than-life. Angry, avenging, macho and indomitable, no other film star in Mumbai carries such an aura of invincibility. Nobody laughed when he took on the might of an entire unit of the Pakistan army in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. Instead, the audience watched in surcharged wonder as he vanquished the enemy and rode home triumphant with his wife. Flushed with success, he now stands at the top of the star heap with a a clutch of films which craftily, and often dangerously, use patriotism to send populist messages. Patriotism has proved to be profitable for the 40-plus Deol. Each bullet fired from his gun, every knock-out punch delivered by his fists, every obscenity hurled at the enemy has paid rich dividends for the elder son of yesteryear star Dharmendra. Contrary to popular perception, it is he, and not the holy trinity of Khans - Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir - or Hrithik Roshan, who commands the highest pay packet in the Mumbai film industry. Industry sources reveal his fee stands at a staggering Rs 3.5 crore per movie. No surprise considering Gadar was the biggest grosser of 2001. Over the years, popular Hindi cinema has mirrored the mood of the nation. In the 50s and 60s, mainstream Hindi cinema's nationalism - an action-packed Lalkar or a war-weary Haqeeqat notwithstanding - was primarily about the tasks of nation building. Remember Naya Daur or Hum Hindustani? Films like Manoj Kumar's Upkaar translated Lal Bahadur Shastri's slogan, 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan', on the silver screen. His 'Bharat' was a creation of this brand of patriotism. As times changed, so did the idea of patriotism. Deol is the blunt and pugnacious face of Bollywood's new patriotism. This is patriotism seen through the barrel of a gun. This is the narrow, blinkered patriotism of 'us' and 'them'. This is patriotism at its one-dimensional worst where words of reason are considered a waste of time and bazookas looked at as the only solution provider. In Indian, a hit action flick released last year, Deol played the role of deputy commissioner of police Raj Shekhar Azad (note the similarity in the name with that of freedom fighter Chandrashekhar Azad), who wipes out the evil Lashkar-e-Jehadi, no questions asked, using a secret strike force of his own. In Ma Tujhe Salaam, the protagonist Major Pratap Singh will do anything for the sake of his country. At a time when many have sulked over the government's unwillingness to cross the Line of Control, the hero in Gadar goes deep into Pakistan and comes back a winner. The roots of Deol's larger-than-life image as a one-man demolition army goes back to the 1990 hit, Ghayal. In his earlier action hits such as Arjun, the five feet, nine inches tall actor was like a quiet, simmering volcano. 'Santoshi brought the hot lava tumbling out,' says film distributor Sanjay Mehta. In Ghayal, as a disturbed young man looking for his elder brother, Deol raved and ranted at the impotent system. He did not have a good voice like Amitabh Bachchan or Raj Kumar but Bollywood discovered that few could match Deol in lung power and screen presence. The patriotic twist came with Border in 1997. Yet, all of this almost didn't happen. Before Gadar was released in 2001, Deol was almost given up as a has-been by Bollywood. He had failed to deliver a single hit in the previous three years. Then, in a changed political climate, Gadar happened. And the world changed for Deol. 'At present, he is the only Mumbai hero who can fight an entire battalion and appear credible to the masses,' says trade pundit Komal Nahta. In a time of war and terrorism, Deol's on-screen bravado appears to act as a catharsis for the audience. By doing everything, and that too single-handedly, that many want the government to do, he acts as a wish-granter for the masses. Deol has now established himself as a stable long distance runner who is both the darling of the masses and the distributors. In fact, there is much more to come. He is now directing a film based on the life of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. Brother Bobby Deol plays the title role while Sunny himself will play Chandrashekhar Azad. Patriotism is a great thing to cash in on.